A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device for the milk that includes a control unit, a tape mover to move and unwind a tape wound on a tape reel and with a base material with reagent pads, that detect a substance in the sample, and a dosing device to provide the sample onto a reagent pad, and a sensor to detect radiation from said reagent pad, and to analyse the detected radiation to indicate a presence or concentration of said substance. The reagent pad is facing downward during provision of the sample. In this way, the chance of excess liquid falling from the reagent, and possibly onto a camera, is reduced. Smaller reagent pads may be used, it reduces the chance of supplied liquid spilling over to a neighbouring reagent pad, the measures preventing this spilling may be limited, and it is easier to suck away excess fluid.

A milking system includes a milking device with a milking control, a milk line, and a sampling/analysis device. The milking control controls the milking based on said analysis. The sampling/analysis device includes a reagent carrier, including a tape with a first side with a reagent pad that detects the presence of a substance in the milk sample and a second side, a dosing device to provide a droplet of said sample onto the reagent pad, a source for emitting source radiation onto the reagent pad, and a sensor to detect response radiation emitted by the reagent pad, and to analyse the detected response radiation to indicate the presence or concentration of said substance. The first side faces away from the sensor during analysing by the sensor. By viewing from below, the observed reaction in the reagent is cleaner, and suffers less from artefacts, and the camera will stay cleaner.

A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device for milk from the milk line, that includes a control unit, a carrier with reagent pads to detect a substance in the sample, a dosing device to dose a sample onto a reagent pad, an sensor device to detect radiation from that reagent pad, and to analyse the detected radiation to indicate a presence or concentration of said substance. The dosing device includes a nozzle with a supply line, a pump for pumping liquid to the nozzle, a flat wall part, and a mover to press the flat wall part and the nozzle against each other to close the nozzle. In this way, the nozzle can be filled completely to a known level and without bubbles. Thereafter, the sample pump can provide a sample droplet with known volume, which enables better control over the sample supply process.

A cassette (130) configured to enable measurement of at least one biomarker value of a milk sample of an animal (100). The cassette (130) includes a tape distributing spool (131); a tape (170) with a plurality of dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c), configured to indicate the biomarker value of the milk sample, and a top film (310) arranged to protect the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) while rolled up on the tape distributing spool (131); a tape collecting spool (132), configured to collect used dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c); and a top film reel (330), arranged to peel off and collect the top film (310) of the tape (170).

The use of SAA/MAA levels in mammalian fluids to develop management strategies that maximize mammalian health, productivity, and economic return including for example the formulation of cost effective nutritional management strategies, determining whether an individual mammal should be retained in a herd or culled, determining the value of the individual mammal as a contributor of genetic material for herd replacement, determining a course of immediate and/or prophylactic health care intervention, etc.

The present invention discloses a free dome range (FDR) where dairy animals have a free access to their stall to concurrently eat and to be milked. The FDR comprises a plurality of stalls; at least one of said stalls is characterized by a front side and rear opposite side into which a dairy animal is at least temporarily accommodated, head fronting said front side; a plurality of main living areas (MLAs); at least one of said MLAs is in connection with at least one of said stalls by means a plurality of gates. The FDR further comprising a substantially horizontally positioned elevated rail system comprising a plurality of elevated rails, and a plurality of mobile milking units (MMUs), each of said MMUs is configured to transport on said elevated rail to a dairy animal at its stall, and milk the animal while it is eating.

A milking system with a milking device, a milking control, a milk line in fluid connection with the milking device, and a sampling and analysis device to take a sample of the milk from the milk line and to analyse milk from the sample are disclosed. The milking control is arranged to control the milking device on the basis of the analysis. The sampling and analysis device includes a control unit, a tape reel provided with a tape that is lengthwise provided with a series of consecutive reagent pads that provide a detectable response in the presence of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move the tape, a dosing device to supply a part of the sample onto a reagent pad on the tape, and a camera to obtain an image of the reagent pad supplied with the droplet, and an analysis device to analyse the obtained images to provide to the milking control device an indication of a presence or concentration of said substance. The camera has a field of view that contains a plurality of reagent pads of the series of consecutive reagent pads. This allows to observe the reaction in the reagent pad for a much longer time. In turn, this allows to use much less reagent material, such as expensive enzymes, in the pads. It is particularly useful when observing double layer reagent types.

A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line for carrying milk, and a sampling unit arranged to take a sample from the milk line and test the sample for the presence or concentration of at least one substance. The sampling unit is provided with a housing. The housing includes a supply reel with a tape that carries reagent, and a sample supplier. The sampling unit includes a tape displacer displacing the tape, a sample analyser, and a used tape collector device collecting tape with reagent to which a sample has been supplied. The supply reel at a surface thereof includes a desiccant, or is completely made of a desiccant material. This provides such a large volume of desiccant that the correspondingly high moisture absorption capacity ensures an uninterrupted useful life of the sampling unit, and thus of the milking system.

A milk analyser system is provided for detecting the presence of a biomarker, the system comprising: a colorimetric sensor which is arranged to change colour in the presence of a biomarker to be detected; and an optically transparent container which contains the sensor, the container being openable in use to allow milk received by the system to pass over the sensor in order to provide an indication of the biomarker in the milk, any change in colour in the sensor being detectable by viewing the sensor through the container.

The use of SAA/MAA levels in mammalian fluids to develop management strategies that maximize sustainability, mammalian health, productivity, and economic return including for example the formulation of cost effective nutritional management strategies, determining whether an individual mammal should be retained in a herd or culled, determining the value of the individual mammal as a contributor of genetic material for herd replacement, determining a course of immediate and/or prophylactic health care intervention, etc.